Environmental Emergencies Heat Related Illness Heat Cramps Heat

Environmental Emergencies

Heat Related Illness Heat Cramps, Heat Exhaustion, and Heat Stroke are conditions caused by over exposure to heat, loss of fluids and electrolytes.

How they come up with what temperature it really feels like… They take the air temperature and cross reference it to the humidity to come up with what it feels like outside.

Heat Related Illness Heat Cramps • Least severe, first signals that the body is having trouble with the heat ▫ Painful muscle spasms in legs or abdomen Heat Exhaustion • More severe, often affects athletes, firefighters, construction workers, and factory workers. ▫ Cool, moist, pale, ashen, or flushed skin, headache, nausea, dizziness or weakness and exhaustion

Heat Related Illness Heat Stroke • Most severe, least common. Occurs when people ignore the signs of heat exhaustion. ▫ Body stops functioning correctly, red skin, changes in consciousness, dry or moist skin, weak or rapid pulse, rapid, shallow breathing.

Caring for Heat-Related Emergencies • Heat Cramps ▫ Move to a cool place, cool water to drink, lightly stretch muscles and massage area. • Heat Exhaustion ▫ Loosen clothing, fan person, have circulating air while applying wet towels, small amounts of water to drink, call 911 if condition doesn’t improve • Heat Stroke ▫ Call 911 ▫ Give care until help arrives

Cold Related Emergencies Frostbite and Hypothermia are two types of cold related emergencies.

They take the air temperature and cross reference it to the wind to come up with what it feels like outside.

Cold Related Emergencies Frostbite • the freezing of body parts exposed to the cold. ▫ Lack of feeling in the affected area, skin appears to be waxy, cold to the touch, discolored(white, yellow, or blue) Hypothermia • the entire body cools because it’s ability to keep warm fails. ▫ Shivering, numbness, glassy stare, indifference, and loss of consciousness.

Caring for Cold Related Emergencies • Frostbite ▫ Remove wet clothing and jewelry, soak frostbitten area in warm water, cover with dry sterile dressing, do not warm area if in danger of refreezing. • Hypothermia ▫ Move to warm place, check abc’s, remove wet clothing, slowly warm the person, handle carefully.

Bites and Stings In rare incidences bites and stings can cause serious illness or even death in people who are sensitive to venom

Insect Stings Most of the time insect stings are harmless. If the person is allergic, an insect sting can lead to anaphylaxis, a lifethreatening condition.

Tick-Borne Diseases • Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever • Spread by wood ticks • Western US • Babesia Infection • Spread by deer ticks and black-legged ticks • Northeast and upper Midwest regions • Ehrlichiosis • Spread by lone star tick • Southern, eastern, and south-central US • Lyme Disease • Spread by deer ticks and black-legged ticks • Allover the US

Other things to look out for: • • • Mosquito Bites Spider Bites Scorpion Stings Venomous Snake Bites Animal Bites Marine Life Stings

Poisonous Plants

Lightning Causes more deaths in the United States than any other weather hazard. FYI: Lightning travels up to speeds of 300 miles per second